Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Future Interfaces Group are developing mouth haptics in virtual reality that let you actually feel a kiss in the metaverse. How does it work? The system utilizes an array of ultrasonic transducers that transmit acoustic energy to a user’s mouth, resulting in haptic feedback. These ultrasound impulses can be transmitted to simulate just one tap, pulses, swipes or even vibrations on the teeth, tongue as well as lips.
Photo credit: Let’s Go Digital
Samsung is rumored to be working on a VR headset for the metaverse, and these recently uncovered patent filings just may have confirmed it. Han Jong-hee, CEO of Samsung Electronics, teased that the company may be working on a new virtual reality headset at Mobile World Congress 2022 in Barcelona, stating that [Metaverse-related devices] are now the talk of the town, so they’ve set down to a task to cope with the trend.
We have seen the future of contact lenses, and they have soft electronics embedded within them. InWith Corporation touts their invention as potentially the most advanced platform for viewing the coming metaverse and are planning to achieve FDA Breakthrough Clearance this year. This technology allows developers to place augmented vision display chip applications into any soft hydrogel contact lenses that many wear daily.
Photo credit: Global Times
Technology giant Baidu is mostly known for its search engine, artificial intelligence platforms, and autonomous driving technology, but this week, the company unveiled Xi Rang. It’s officially China’s first metaverse platform and consists of a virtual world where participants can log in with their designated avatars and see, listen as well as interact with others using PCs, smartphones or wearables.
NVIDIA Omniverse Avatar was unveiled today and it’s a technology platform designed to connect the company’s technologies in speech AI, computer vision, natural language understanding, recommendation engines as well as simulation technologies. When users create avatars in the platform, they turn into interactive characters with ray-traced 3D graphics capable of seeing, speaking, conversing, and even understand naturally spoken intent. Read more for a video and additional information.
Microsoft has entered the metaverse, or at least in one form. Introducing Mesh for Microsoft Teams. This service basically combines the mixed-reality capabilities of Microsoft Mesh that enables people in different physical locations to join collaborative and shared holographic experiences, with the productivity tools of Microsoft Teams, allowing users to join virtual meetings, send chats, as well as collaborate on shared documents. Read more for a video demonstration and additional information.